Ukrzaliznytsia Officials Accused of Illegal Sale of State Property
In the Lviv region, two officials of a structural unit of JSC ‘Ukrzaliznytsia’ will stand trial for abuse of power. It was established that the head of the division and his deputy organized the illegal sale of a state-owned non-residential premises, the market value of which exceeds one million hryvnias. For their actions, they face imprisonment for up to eight years with confiscation of property.
Investigation and Accusation
The offenders were uncovered by investigators from the Lviv District Police Department No.1 together with operatives of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Lviv region, under the procedural guidance of the Galician District Prosecutor’s Office. As law enforcement officers found out, in 2022, the accused forged documents regarding a real estate object of about 120 square meters located on Horodotska Street in Lviv and submitted them to a state registrar. Subsequently, the offender unauthorizedly interfered with the operation of the State Register of Real Rights on Immovable Property’s automated system, made changes, and registered ownership of the non-residential building to the joint-stock company.
As a result of illegal actions, this object, with a market value of over one million hryvnias, was removed from the ownership of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, put up for electronic auction, and sold at a reduced price. As previously reported, the pre-trial investigation regarding the state registrar has been completed, and the indictment has already been sent to court.
Legal Consequences
The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings opened under Part 2 of Article 366 (Forgery in Office) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, Part 2 of Article 364 (Abuse of Authority or Office) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and Part 2 of Article 209 (Legalization (Laundering) of Property Obtained by Crime) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, concerning the head and his deputy, has been completed, and the indictment has been sent to court. The maximum penalty provided by the articles’ sanctions is imprisonment for a term of five to eight years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and with confiscation of property.